RAILROAD  AND  WAREHOUSE 
COMMISSION 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 


.  RULES 

'Governing  the  Installation 
of  Telegraph  and 
Telephone  Wires  over 
Right-of-Way  of 
Railroad  Companies 


Adopted  by  the  Commission 
November  21,  1912 


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ILLINOIS  PRINTING  CO.,  DANVILLE,  ILL 


RULES 


Covering  the  Installation  of  Electric 
Wires  or  other  forms  of  Metallic 
Conductors  Canying  Electric 
“'1  Current  Over  Railroad 

Tracks 


^  ^(1)  The  trolley  wire  of  any  electric¬ 
ally  operated  railroad  company, 
crossing  the  tracks  of  any  other  rail¬ 
road  company,  shall  be  equipped 
with  a  trolley  guard  of  an  approved 
pattern,  and  such  trolley  wire  shall 
have  a  minimum  vertical  clearance 
of  not  less  than  22  feet  above  the 
t^'^^op  of  the  rails. 

(2)  Telegraph  wires,  telephone  wires, 
or  any  other  forms  of  metallic  con¬ 
ductors  (except  trolley  wires)  carry¬ 
ing  electric  current  less  than  700 
volts,  shall  not  be  permitted  to  cross 
the  tracks  of  any  railroad  company 
under  a  minimum  vertical  clearance 
of  25  feet,  provided  such  wires  and 
conductors  are  suspended  from  mes¬ 
senger  wires  at  intervals  not  greater 
thari  15  feet, 


0 

0 

o 


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(3)  When  not  suspended  from  mes¬ 
senger  wires,  all  telegraph,  telephone 
and  other  wire  or  cable  conductors 
(except  trolley  wires),  carrying  less 
than  700  volts  and  spanning  the 
tracks  of  any  railroad  company, 
shall  have  a  minimum  vertical  clear¬ 
ance  of  not  less  than  30  feet. 

(4)  If  in  crossing  the  tracks  of  any 
railroad  company  with  electric  wires 
or  other  forms  of  metallic  conductors 
carrying  less  than  700  volts,  the  con¬ 
ductor  wires  of  any  telegraph,  tele¬ 
phone  or  electric  railroad  company 
are  aiso  crossed,  the  minimum  verti¬ 
cal  clearances  of  25  feet  and  30  feet 
above  referred  to  shall  be  increased 
so  as  to  give  a  minimum  clearance  of 
5  feet  above  the  wires  so  crossed. 

(5)  The  minimum  clearance  of  all 
metallic  conductors  (except  trolley 
wires),  crossing  the  tracks  of  any 
railroad  company  and  carrying  700 
volts  or  over,  shall  not  be  less  than 
30  feet,  provided  such  wires  or  con¬ 
ductors  are  suspended  from  messen¬ 
ger  wires  at  intervals  not  greater 
than  15  feet. 

(6)  All  electric  v/ires  or  metallic  con¬ 
ductors  (except  trolley  wires)  span¬ 
ning  the  tracks  of  any  railroad  com¬ 
pany,  and  carrying  700  volts  or  over, 
shall  have  a  minimum  vertical  clear- 


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ance  of  35  feet  when  not  suspended 
from  messenger  wires. 

(7)  If  in  crossing  the  tracks  of  any 
railroad  company  with  electric  wires 
or  other  form  of  metalic  conductors 
carrying  700  volts  or  over,  the  con¬ 
ductor  wires  of  any  telegraph,  tele¬ 
phone  or  electric  railway  company 
are  also  crossed,  the  minimum  ver¬ 
tical  clearance  of  30  feet  and  35  feet 
applicable  to  electric  wires  and  other 
forms  of  metalic  conductors  carrying 
700  volts  or  over,  shall  be  increased 
when  necessary  so  as  to  give  not  less 
than  7  feet  vertical  clearance  above 
any  wire  conductors  so  crossed. 

(8)  In  any  case,  when  crossing  the 
tracks  of  any  railroad  company  where 
telegraph  or  telephone  wires  are 
crossed  overhead,  the  electric  wires 
or  other  forms  of  m.etallic  conductors 
cariying  electric  current,  shall  be 
equipped  with  a  slatted  platform  or 
some  other  approved  type  of  pro¬ 
tection,  suspended  in  such  a  manner 
so  that  the  breakage  of  an  electric 
wire  or  metallic  conductors  shall  not 
come  in  contact  with  any  telegraph 
or  telephone  wires  so  crossed. 

In  any  case  such  electric  wire  or 
metallic  conductor  crosses  under¬ 
neath  any  telegraph  or  telephone 
wire  in  order  to  cross  the  tracks  of 
any  railroad  company,  such  electric 


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wire  or  metallic  conductor  shall  be 
equipped  with  a  slatted  platform,  or 
some  other  approved  type  of  protec¬ 
tion,  so  that  the  breakage  of  a  tele¬ 
graph  or  telephone  wire  shall  not 
come  in  contact  with  the  metal  con¬ 
ductors  crossing  underneath  such 
telephone  and  telegraph  wires. 

(9)  In  any  case  where  electric  wires 
or  other  metallic  conductors  carry¬ 
ing  700  volts  or  over  span  the  tracks 
of  any  railroad  company,  each  pole 
supporting  such  electric  wires  or 
other  metallic  conductors  which  may 
be  located  upon,  or  immediately 
adjacent,  to  the  rig^t-of-way  of  any 
railroad  company’s  tracks  crossed, 
shall  be  provided  with  a  warning 
sign,  with  letter  not  less  than  four 
inches  in  height,  reading: 

“Danger — Electric  Wires  (or 
cable  as  the  case  may  be) 

. Volts”  (Giving  the 

normal  voltage  of  each  wire 
or  metal  conductor). 

(10)  The  term  electric  wire  or  metallic 
conductor,  as  used  in  these  rules, 
shall  mean  to  include  any  wire,  cable 
or  other  metal  conductor  used  as  a 
means  for  transmitting  electric  cur¬ 
rent. 

(11)  The  minimum  vertical  clearances 
herein  specified  shall  mean  to  be  the 


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least  clearance  permitted  under  the 
most  unfavorable  conditions  with 
respect  to  loading  and  temperature  of 
electric  wires,  or  other  forms  of  metal¬ 
lic  conductors  which  span  the  tracks 
of  any  railroad  company,  or  any  tele¬ 
graph  or  telephone  wires  located  on 
the  right-of-way  of  any  railroad  com¬ 
pany. 

(12)  No  electric  wires  or  any  other 
form  of  metallic  conductors  carrying 
700  volts  or  over  shall  be  permitted 
to  cross  the  tracks  of  any  railroad 
company,  or  any  telegraph  or  tele¬ 
phone  wires  located  on  the  right-of- 
way  of  any  railroad  company,  until 
plans  shall  first  have  been  pre¬ 
sented  to  the  commission  in  dupli¬ 
cate  and  duly  approved  by  them  in 
the  form  of  an  order. 

(13)  Whenever  conditions  are  such 
as  to  make  it  desirable  to  use  vertical 
clearances  less  than  those  above  speci¬ 
fied,  application  may  be  made  to  the 
Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commission, 
stating  reasons  why  it  is  desirable  or 
necessary  to  make  use  of  any  devia¬ 
tions  from  above  rules.  Such  appli¬ 
cation  shall  be  accompanied  by  dup¬ 
licate  plans,  showing  both  map  and 
profile  of  such  crossing.  If  approved, 
the  plans  will  be  so  marked,  and  one 
set  will  be  returned  to  the  petitioner 
with  the  order  of  the  Commission. 

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Approved  and  adopted  by  the 
Commission,  November  21,  1912. 

O.  F.  Berry,  Chairman 
B.  A.  Eckhart,  Commissioner. 

J.  A.  Willoughby,  Commissioner. 

Attest: 

Wm.  Kilpatrick, 

Secretary. 


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